1000 Little Holes in the Dark

My first novel. A tale of tragedy.

I grew up on Stephen King and wanted to write a real horror novel just like he did back in the good old days when his books really were proper horror novels. To make something like the stuff that really left its mark on me. Carrie, Christine, The Shining, Salem’s Lot; all those belters. Anyway, I thought I’d give it a go and to be honest I think I missed by a mile.

What came out instead was a whole load of therapy I had trapped inside me that I needed to get out.

1000 Little Holes in the Dark is the opposite of a love story. It sets off on its journey with the reader witnessing the angry mess one failed union has arrived at in its demise. From that point onward, we learn the horrific tale of how a seemingly perfect pairing ended up in such a terrible place. And worse still—where it eventually ends up.

It’s a story based within a handful of what might be considered supernatural themes; or just natural ones. It depends on what you believe about life. None of us know for sure what’s going on as we persevere through our own journeys. For the most part we’re all just stumbling around in the dark anyway, aren’t we?

It’s a story about people. About love and loss. It’s an old theme but it’s a new tale. It has its moments, just like in life, and it gets a bit tough in places, but I have my fingers crossed it shares certain angles of hope for the reader. Deep in the midst of everything that go wrong and constantly does, it’s a reminder of all the magical things that come from making poor decisions, from making mistakes, figuring out the beautiful things we had without seeing them, and to live for such wonders while we can.

None of us are getting out of this alive. So live.

It was a memorable project to work on. I don’t think it’s too shabby for a first novel. There is so much of me in there. So many of the things I’ve had to find a way through. So much of the hard parts of life from when I simply wasn’t good at living. And there are a few of those terrible huge moments that never get put in their box. It’s a big tale of woe, but hopefully, with just enough hope delivered at its finale, that we’re not all wasting our time. There’s love out there. And pain. We just need to know where to look.